afforded by Her Majesty from Windsor Castle, the Marquess of Hastings, and Lord de Lisle. A fine suit of mounted armour belonged to Sir Henry Dymoke, the hereditary champion of England. Superb examples, indeed, were two suits from the tower, one of the time of Henry VI, the other, fluted, dating from the reign of Henry VIII. Two magnificent suits elaborately ornamented, made for Prince Henry, the son of James I, and for Prince Charles his brother, are of special historical importance. A buff coat of Sir Jacob Astley served to confirm the accuracy of this portion of his portrait exhibited in another part of the building.

.

A superb half suit, surmounted with a temporarily added, highly wrought, Morion, belonging to Alphonso Duke of Ferrara, was considered by Mr. Planché to be one of the finest in Europe; near it stood an original Italian armourer's anvil, the sides of which were elaborately wrought. Between these objects and the nave were two remarkably fine tilting suits, the figures being mounted on horses in the act of encounter. They belonged to the sixteenth century. In a glass case near at hand was the celebrated ivory cross-bow, of the time of Henry VI, and a curious instrument from which our modern dragoons derive their name. It was a primitive gun made of wood, inlaid with ivory and called a dragon. There were also several beautifully wrought couteaux de chasse, and in one case a magnificent display of shields, including the targets of Francis I and the Emperor Charles V. the former executed by Negroli, the latter by Pacini. On the opposite side, also in a glass case, were finely embossed shields, contributed by the Marquess of Breadalbane and Lord Delamere. There were also a remarkable two-handed sword, with the two cognizances of De Lisle and Warwick, and a superb partizan with highly-wrought staff, said to be a present from the Pope to Henry VIII: these and a halberd, probably used in ecclesiastical processions, were also deserving of special study for design.

Of primitive times, also, one great rarity, the thin bronze coating of an ancient British shield, found in the river Witham, Linconshire, claims remembrance. The central boss was studded with small pieces of cornelian. Near it were placed two other remarkable objects, namely, circular shields or targets, used by the primitive occupants of our island.

From the armourer to the goldsmith of olden times may be considered an easy transition.

U

Of rich church plate, especially Chalices, Monstrances, Shrines, Patens, Thuribles, and Candlesticks, the chief contributors were Cardinal Wiseman, Dr. Rock, Colonel Meyrick, Mr. Howard of Corby and Mr. Beresford Hope, M.P.

The Corporation plate was collected from New College, Queen's and Oriel Colleges, Oxford; from Corpus, St. John's and Pembroke Colleges, Canbridge; from the civic authorities of York, Yarmouth, Thetford, Chester, Rochester and Lincoln; also from the London companies of the God smiths, Barber-Surgeons, Clothworkers, Mercers and Carpenters. From among the latter of these was to be seen the cup presented by Samuel Pepys, and mentioned in his diary. A very curious collection of watches served to shew the advances made in mechanical workmanship and the wonderful amount of taste which prevailed at an early period in fabricating the cases to hold them. Enamels also, mainly through the assistance of Mr. Danby Seymour, Mr. Beresford Hope and the Earl of Warwick, formed an almost unrivalled collection.

In the earliest examples of enamelling the colours were kept quite distinct and separated from each other by slender walls of gold. These were fixed with wonderful delicacy and precision before the introdu tion of the fusible vitreous material. Constructed divisions of this nature gave the name Cloisonné to the enamel. In the second stage of advancement, the same system of separating the colours was maintained, but the divisions were effected by a different process. The gold surface to receive the enamels was then scooped out into as many hollows as masses of colour were required, leaving the metal between them to form the necessary barriers. This kind of enamel from the process of hollowing was termed champlevé.* The third and last process was to paint freely over the entire surface of a flat plate metal, generally of copper, with vitreous colours, blending one with another as in ordinary painting and covering the metal as completely as an artist would his panel or canvas. Of this latest style by Courtois and several other fine artists of Limoges, &c., the most important came from Mr. Danby Seymour's collection.

Of Henri Deux ware, only forty examples being known in the whole world, Sir Anthony Rothschild contributed the most precious specimens.

* See the woodcut from the Art Treasures, contributed to this vol. by Messrs. Day.